AI in Learning Assingments
AI can be used in learning assingments in many ways. It is different to use AI as a support for learning, such as explaining and organizing things, than to use it for completing a learning assignment.
Jamk uses a traffic light model that describes how AI can be used in learning assingments. The assignment instructions include a traffic light image and guidance on how AI can be used in that assignment. The use of traffic lights helps the teacher to summarize the learning objective of each task and clarify how the use or non-use of AI enhances the student’s skills.
The teacher can find the traffic light model in the Assignments tab of the Moodle template and the Moodle Bank course. The images can be copied and then attached to the description field of the Moodle assignment.
Familiarize yourself with the traffic lights and sample assignments:
Required, must be used, must be reported
Requiring the use of AI develops the student’s ability to critically evaluate the material produced by generative AI. Additionally, it enhances the skill of using generative AI as part of the growth of one’s own thinking and expertise. It promotes work-life skills and supports the diversity of learning.
- Creating a marketing plan where AI is used to develop strategies.
- A programming project where AI is used for writing and optimizing code. The student documents the use of AI and evaluates its impact on the final result.
- Translation and text analysis, where the student assesses the quality of their own translation and analysis.
- An information retrieval task.
Red – Prohibited, not to be used
The justification for prohibiting the use of AI explains why it is important to acquire the knowledge, skills, and understanding in line with the learning objective without the use of generative AI.
- The learning assignment uses copyrighted material, and the usage rights do not allow it to be fed into generative AI.
- Good grammar skills are essential for communication skills, understanding information, and being understood. In language proficiency assessment, it is important that the output is created without the help of AI.
- The development of the student’s critical thinking and reflection skills also occurs by evaluating the result based solely on the student’s own understanding from the learning assignment. AI cannot recognize and integrate the student’s knowledge, skills, and understanding according to the learning objective.
- The goal of the learning assignment is to assess the student’s understanding, so using an external information source can be considered cheating.
- A supervised exam where no external information sources are used.
Example 1:
English at Work + English for Working Life (written tasks, general instructions)
Language and grammar being central for assessment purposes, the use of AI is prohibited in all written tasks. Student is responsible for producing the texts using their own knowledge, understanding and skills. Please note that if Turnitin reports that 60-100% text was generated by AI, the task will automatically be marked as Fail/Incomplete.
Yellow – Allowed, can be used, must be reported
Allowing the use of AI in such a way that its use is reported to the teacher in the learning task. The limitations of AI use are understood, and its use can be explained. Information produced by AI cannot be directly used as a source, as the source must be based on researched information.
- A student uses artificial intelligence to create structure or check text in a thesis or extensive reporting task.
- Utilizing generative AI for visualization or summarization.
- Searching for literature or other sources.
Example 1:
Text structure analysis (Improve your English)
Prompt: “Create a 5-paragraph essay about the use of artificial intelligence at universities”
Based on a text created by the teacher using AI, ” The use of artificial intelligence at universities. Students read the text and answer questions:
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- Pay attention to text structure. What are some characteristics of a typical formal essay?
- Underline thesis statement ( = the main message/idea of the essay)
- Underline the paragraph statements ( = the main ideas of each paragraph)
- Underline / mark down all the linking words
The point of the AI-generated base text is to analyze the typical structures and order in which ideas are presented in the text (they are so established that even AI can capture them).
Sometimes, if there has been time, students have produced their own texts on chosen topics in the same style. However, the final written work for the course has had to be produced by the students themselves.
Example 2:
Video CV (English for Working Life)
Task: 1-2 minute video CV in English.
AI guidance:
“AI can be used for brainstorming purposes when planning your script. However, please notice that in work-related contexts, AI often produces very general and impersonal (=boring) output. If AI is used, it must be reported either at the start of the video or with a separate written comment in the return box.”
Example 3:
Field-specific presentation (English for Working Life)
Task: Take a deeper look at your field or a specific part of your field which you are particularly interested in, and present it orally in English (length 5-8 minutes / person).
AI guidance:
Recommended use of AI: In this task, AI can be used e.g. for brainstorming the topic and the contents, and outlining your presentation. However, it is recommended to use official sources to fact check the contents. The possible use of AI must be reported either at the start of the presentation, or, with a separate comment in the return box.
Example 4:
English at Work (oral tasks, general instructions)
In video tasks, AI can be used for following purposes:
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- Generate Ideas: You can use AI to brainstorm ideas or presentation topics, gather information, and outline your video/presentation script. This can help you structure your thoughts.
- Ask for feedback: Copy and paste your script/notes/visuals to ChatGPT/Copilot/other and ask for feedback. Be specific with your prompts: “I am not a native speaker of English. Can you help me with [task type]. Ask precise questions. E.g.
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- Please correct my grammatical mistakes.
- Can you provide suggestions for improving the introduction/conclusion of the presentation?
- How can I transition more smoothly between [your own ideas]
- Do you have any tips for making my argument more persuasive?
- Could you suggest ways to rephrase this sentence to avoid repetition?
- What are some ways to vary my vocabulary and word choice throughout the assignment? Etc.
The student is responsible for describing the possible use of AI in their tasks. If you use AI in video tasks, please add the following information to your assignment submission (either orally at the start/end of the video OR by writing a comment to the assigned return box.)
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- which AI system you used (whether it is ChatGPT/Copilot or other)
- which prompts or questions you used
- when the material was generated.
Lastly, make sure that you understand the information generated by AI. Reporting the contents of your written tasks will be an essential part of the final exam.
Green – Allowed, can be used, need not be reported
Allowing the use of AI in such a way that its use does not need to be disclosed. The use is related to tasks that support learning or sub-tasks of a larger whole, where the use of AI does not add value to the final result and does not affect the assessment.
- Competence is demonstrated in practical situations, where AI can be used if the student feels it helps.
- The assignment is based on generating ideas, where AI can be used to create new perspectives and suggestions.
- Tasks that help build understanding but are not assessed.